|
|
|
|
Statue of St. Wenceslas Review
Read our Prague sights reviews. Or post your own.
Statue of St. Wenceslas
- Address: Vaclavske nam., Nove Mesto, Prague, Bohemia
- Category: Public Art (Mural/Sculpture/Statue)
- Location: Nové Mesto
Fodor's Review:
Josef Václav Myslbek's huge equestrian grouping of St. Wenceslas with other Czech patron saints around him is a traditional meeting place at times of great national peril or rejoicing. In 1939 Praguers gathered to oppose Hitler's takeover of Bohemia and Moravia. It was here also, in 1969, that the student Jan Palach set himself on fire to protest the bloody invasion of his country by the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries in August of the previous year. The invasion ended the "Prague Spring," a cultural and political movement emphasizing free expression, which was supported by Alexander Dubcek, the popular reform-Communist leader at the time. And of course, in November 1989, hundreds of thousands gathered here and all along the square to demand the end of the Communist government.
Get Advice From Other Travelers
- Apartment rental experience - Budapest and Prague
8 responses; most recent on 09/30/2008, 07:09 pm - Day trip: Dresden to Prague
5 responses; most recent on 09/25/2008, 12:09 pm - Buying Czech Pearls - Prague
4 responses; most recent on 09/23/2008, 02:59 pm - Prague to Dresden, Germany by bus or train?tour?
9 responses; most recent on 09/22/2008, 04:11 pm
Visit the Travel Talk forums for help on planning your trip >>
- Adventure Travel from
-
Budapest, Vienna & Prague
$5,450
Such rich cultural offerings and traditions,... -
Czech Republic
$4,195
If you wish to discover the richness of this... -
Baltics
$5,395
Medieval castles and pagan ruins...elega...
Buy the Guidebook
-
$21.95
-
$11.95
Get the Fodor's Newsletter
Read the current issue
For more travel ideas, tips, and deals, sign up for the Fodor's newsletter here. Browse previous issues.
